Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
05:35
A Point-of-Care Method with Integrated Decision Support Tool to Estimate Anemia at Population Level
Published on: January 19, 2024
Defining Reference Intervals for Complete Blood Count and Micronutrient Parameters in Urban Bangladeshi Population
Md Ahsanul Haq1, Kiyoshi Ichihara2, Dewan Zubaer Islam1
1Immunobiology, Nutrition and Toxicology, Nutrition Research Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
Biomolecules
|July 28, 2026
Summary
This study established population-specific reference intervals for complete blood count (CBC) and micronutrients vitamin D (VitD) and zinc in Bangladesh. Findings highlight significant differences from global values, emphasizing the need for country-specific clinical guidelines.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Chemistry
- Hematology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Lack of population-specific reference intervals (RIs) in Bangladesh hinders accurate clinical interpretation of laboratory results.
- Existing global RIs may not accurately reflect the health status of the Bangladeshi population.
- Understanding variations in complete blood count (CBC) and micronutrient levels (Vitamin D, Zinc) is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine population-specific reference intervals (RIs) for CBC parameters and micronutrients (Vitamin D, Zinc) in urban Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- To assess the influence of sex, age, and slum residency on these reference values.
- To compare derived RIs with existing global standards.
Main Methods:
- Systematic sampling of 1724 healthy participants (≥10 years) from slum and non-slum areas of Dhaka city.
- Analysis of 26 CBC parameters using automated hematology analyzers.
- Measurement of Vitamin D (VitD) and Zinc using automated immunoassay and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), respectively.
- Multiple regression analysis (MRA) and ANOVA-based standard deviation ratio (SDR) were used to determine significant factors and partitioning needs.
- Parametric methods with Box-Cox transformation and latent abnormal values exclusion (LAVE) were applied to determine RIs.
Main Results:
- Sex and age significantly influenced variations in CBC parameters.
- Slum residency was associated with increased levels of Vitamin D and Zinc.
- Population-specific RIs were derived, partitioned by sex for certain parameters including hemoglobin, hematocrit, red cell indices, plateletcrit, Vitamin D, and Zinc.
- Significant differences were observed between the derived RIs and global collaborative study values for erythrocyte and leukocyte parameters.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first population-specific reference intervals for urban Dhaka city.
- The derived RIs differ significantly from global standards, underscoring the need for country-specific RIs in Bangladesh.
- Accurate clinical diagnostics and health management in Bangladesh require the implementation of these localized reference intervals.